Updated 8:57 pm, Saturday, April 21, 2012

ALBANY — The Democratic primary to replace retiring Assemblyman Jack McEneny began to take shape Saturday as party leaders voted to back longtime County Legislator and party power broker Frank Commisso to succeed him.

Commisso, who lives in the city's 15th Ward near the University at Albany and works as the business manager at the Port of Albany, has served in the legislature for nearly three decades and been its majority leader for nearly two.

Still, the likelihood of a multi-candidate primary for the coveted seat representing most of the state capital and some of its largest suburbs seems strong — if not certain.

Fahy resigned her job as an associate commissioner in the state Department of Labor to run.

"I'm in it for the long haul," she said after leaving Democratic headquarters on Colvin Avenue.

Albany County Democratic Chairman Matthew Clyne said the vote by the party's candidate-selection committee to back Commisso, a former party co-chair himself, was "near unanimous." The panel consists of the chairs of each of the town and city Democratic organizations in the county, as well as the city of Albany's 15 ward leaders.

"Frank's long dedication to the Democratic Party swayed a lot of people," Clyne said.

At least one dissenter was 6th Ward Leader Laura Castelli, who backed Higgins, citing the two-term legislator's commitment to the downtown neighborhoods he represents.

Third Ward Leader Ron Bailey said he abstained because didn't believe the party should endorse anyone, citing McEneny's own refusal last month to anoint a successor when he announced he was stepping down after two decades at the Capitol.

"Let it be an open race," said Bailey, whose ward in Arbor Hill and West Hill sits outside the Assembly District, which roughly covers Albany's southwestern half in addition to the suburban towns of Bethlehem and Guilderland and largely rural New Scotland.

The panel's backing of Commisso is not final. It still needs to be reviewed by the party's executive committee, which contains many of the same members, as well as the roughly 300 committee members in what is now the 109th Assembly District.

Nonetheless, Commisso said he was honored for the support and would work help relieve the burden of state mandates on local governments.

Clyne said he expects the full party to convene in mid-May to vote on the endorsement, as well as an endorsement to succeed retiring Assembly Majority Leader Ron Canestrari of Cohoes. Interviews for that seat are scheduled for next Saturday, April 28.

He also defended his decision to back candidates in the primaries, saying one of the main responsibilities of the party leadership is to vet candidates to make informed recommendations to the broader membership.

All aspiring candidates will still need to gather 500 petition signatures to get themselves on the Sept. 11 primary ballot. Not surprisingly, Commisso's endorsement did not come without mild controversy, with some speculating that a deal had been struck in advance of Saturday to hand him the party's support. Clyne and other party leaders flatly dismissed that.

"It wasn't a done deal," Clyne said. "There was no effort made to influence the vote, one way or the other."

After his interview but before the panel voted, Commisso said he was prepared to exit the race if the party picked someone else.

New Scotland Town Board member Daniel Mackay was scheduled to be interviewed but was out of town on business Saturday. Mackay said he remains interested in the race.

With roughly 40,000 Democrats in the district — just over half of them in the suburbs — to just 16,000 Republicans, Democrats have shown little concern about losing the seat, which has been in their hands since 1971. There are some 17,000 voters who are not affiliated with any party.

County Republicans have endorsed Altamont businessman Ted Danz for the seat, and GOP Chairman Don Clarey said he's content to watch the Democrats divide themselves.

"I think it's going to be a bloodbath on the other side," Clarey said. "I will not discount winning this seat due to the absolute division on the Democratic side. It's a mess over there."